


Till You Love Somebody

by orion9time



Category: Take That (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, only a little bit though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:09:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29833725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orion9time/pseuds/orion9time
Summary: Our favourite boy band retreat to a country house to write parts of their new album. While there, Rob realises how he feels about Gary and struggles to deal with it.Slow burn, set during the writing of Progress.
Relationships: Gary Barlow/Robbie Williams
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This came about because I saw somewhere that apparently Take That all stayed in one house together for a few days at some point while writing progress and I think Gary said he and Rob slept in the same bed. I can't for the life of me remember where he said that, maybe I imagined it, but its spawned this fic.
> 
> Originally I was gonna wait til it was all/mostly finished but I am too impatient so I am posting it as I go (although I have 6ish chapters already written, I just don't know how long it will be). Hopefully I can keep ahead of myself and have regular updates.
> 
> I am having fun writing this so I hope you have fun reading it!

“Right, here we are.” Howard announced.

The drive had been beautiful – fields and lakes on either side of the road with the early morning sun casting a warm glow over it all – and the country house they had now arrived at was remote, divorced from the bustle of London or the superficiality of Los Angeles. After admiring the exterior of the house (more like a manor, Howard said) the five of them had retreated to their separate bedrooms to drop their baggage and freshen up.

Rob was glad for the opportunity. He had spent the drive sleeping and now felt particularly groggy. Originally he had drifted off with his head on Jason’s bag, but halfway through the trip Jason had pushed him off to retrieve a book, and his head had fallen onto Gary’s shoulder. He had grunted a sorry but Gary didn’t seemed to have minded.

After about an hour of that he had been jolted awake by an especially bumpy turn.

“Rob you better not have drooled on my bag too.” Jason had said in disgust.

Confused, Rob had looked down at Gary’s shoulder and seen the patch of drool he had left. Gary had laughed and said that he hadn’t wanted to disturb him but Rob was a little embarrassed all the same.

After placing his bags in his room and washing his face to remove the feeling of sleep he watched TV for a while before heading downstairs to the main room.

Gary walked in after a few minutes with Mark who flopped onto the sofa next to Rob who was already absorbed in his laptop. He leaned in to see what had stolen Rob’s attention, only to see he was reading through lyrics he’d written, occasionally changing a word or switching a verse around.

“Why are we here again?” Howard asked wandering through the room, looking at a painting above the mantlepiece.

“You know why,” Gary spoke in answer to Howard. “I thought it would be nice to spend a few days here writing, all together. Five or so days of pure writing and I think we could refine some of what we already have and get a good number of new ideas.”

“AND it’ll be nice to spend this time together,” Jason added as he entered the room. “Right Gaz?”

“That too.”

“I know we’ve all talked extensively since making up, but Rob, you’ve only just joined the band again. A little team bonding never goes amiss.” Jason walked to the window. “We’re in a nice location too. Weather’s meant to be good this week. We could play some footie.”

“Yeah, I went on a quick jog when we arrived; there’s a football field not five minutes away. It will be good to unwind and get some exercise,” agreed Gary.

Mark laughed. “Yeah, me and Rob versus you, Gaz and Howard. And we’d still beat you five – nil.”

Rob looked up from his laptop. “I don’t know Markie, I reckon Gaz might actually be better than me, I mean look at him. I haven’t even played in ages.” He turned his head to smile at Gary, who gave him a smirk back. Rob bit his lip as he looked at Gary’s athletic body. He was wearing a top that clung to his arms, showing his muscle. Rob would like to play football with him, just to see him in action. Shaking his head he ignored that thought and turned to Mark again.

“What do you think of this?” he asked, pointing at the last line he had written.

Mark shook his head and stood up. “Let’s eat before we get down to writing. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” He laughed at the expression and made his way to the doorway.

“I’m so hungry I could eat…. a rhinoceros.” Howard grinned.

“Well I’m so hungry I could eat a whale,” Mark retorted over his shoulder.

“You are honestly children!” Jason remarked as the three of them proceeded out the room towards the kitchen.

Robbie remained on the sofa and Gary took a few steps to put his hand on his shoulder from behind.

“What do _you_ think of this Gaz?”

Gary leaned down and read a few lines, resting his chin on Rob’s head.

“Brilliant Rob. I think this trip is gonna be productive. Get the creative juices flowing.”

“Heh. Juices.” Rob snorted.

“Still so immature.” Teased Gary.

“Hey, you said it.”

Gary laughed and lifted his head up.

“Mark’s right, we should eat lunch. We can spend the afternoon writing.”

“Yeah I guess I am hungry now you mention it.”

He looked up at Gary who squeezed his shoulder and stroked his thumb up and down a couple times. Rob leaned into the touch, appreciating the feeling. Reluctantly, he put down his laptop and stood up, dislodging Gary’s hand. It felt warm where he had touched him and he tried to walk close to Gary, regretting having lost that feeling.

After lunch the five piece spent the afternoon in the living room writing. Gary sat at the piano, playing chords and melodies, and sometimes singing lyrics to them that one of the others or himself had written.

“Actually, I have some synth stuff I was experimenting with on my laptop. Rob, you might like this.” Gary paused playing to stand up and reach for his laptop. He opened it up, found a track and let it play for everyone. It sounded upbeat and after a moment Rob started humming a melody to it.

“I do like it. I’ll see if I can figure out some lyrics and melody for it if you send me the track, after I’ve finished these current verses I’m doing. I can’t seem to make them sound right.” he pouted.

Jason stood up to have a look at Rob’s current verse. “I like that line Rob. In the next one if you replace ‘if’ with ‘when’ I think it would make more sense.”

Rob nodded and made the change. Gary watched them collaborate with a warm feeling almost like pride in his chest. He continued to watch Rob, whose face was frowned in concentration. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt which showed off his tattoos on both arms, and when he put his hands behind his head to stretch Gary could see the ones on his forearms as well.

Gary had to admit, Rob suited tattoos in a way Gary could appreciate. He never thought he’d like them as much as he did. It was just another aspect of how much Rob had changed since the nineties. Not just in his personality, now more tentative and reflective, but in his looks. Rob, always the young cheeky one with a wicked grin had become a man he almost hadn’t recognised when they met up the previous year. Strong, handsome, still with his humour and at times childishness, but unsure of himself, and eager for approval. Although, Gary contemplated, those had perhaps always been there - he had not been observant enough to see it the first time around and had just chosen to see youthful arrogance that was put on to cover up those insecurities.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he realised that Howard had said something.

“Hmm?” he asked.

Howard gave him a weird look. “I said we’ve been working for almost five hours now. I’m going to explore the grounds before dinner.”

“I’ll come with you mate, I’m obviously not concentrating right now.” Gary stood up to follow Howard out. He looked at Rob, now smiling at something Mark or Jason had said, one hand still behind his head, running his hand through the back of his dark hair. His tattooed fingers played with a strand, twirling it around. Tearing his eyes away, Gary hurried after Howard outside.


	2. Chapter 2

Rob typed the final line and then leaned back in bed to read over it. After dinner they had written together some more, before one by one announcing that they were heading off to bed, until only Rob was left and he thought he might as well continue in his room. Putting on his headphones he played Gary’s track again, and quietly mumbled the new lyrics along to it. He was pretty sure it sounded good, but he wanted to run it by Gary. Glancing at the clock he saw it was almost midnight. Would Gary be asleep at this time? He couldn’t be sure; it didn’t seem that late to him, but his sleep schedule had always been erratic. Besides, Gary liked to wake up early and go for runs didn’t he? Making his mind up he took his laptop and was halfway to his bedroom door when he quickly backtracked and threw on a hoodie – he had a usual habit of walking about in just his underwear but he wasn’t sure the others would appreciate it so much.

He opened his bedroom door and padded down the hallway to knock gently on Gary’s door.

“Come in” he heard a voice say.

Peeking round the door he saw Gary sitting up in bed, holding a book.

“Are you busy?” asked Rob.

“No, not at all. Come in.”

Rob moved round the door closing it behind him, and nervously stood in the middle of the room clutching his laptop.

Gary stared at him for a second before chuckling.

“What, you were cold on top but couldn’t possibly put trousers on?”

Rob looked down at himself, clad in only a white zip up hoodie and black briefs. Why on earth did he not put trousers on?

“I’ll go put some on if you’d like.” He said apologetically.

“No, don’t,” Gary said quickly. “I mean, it’s fine, I don’t care. What is it you’re needing?”

“I’ve um, I’ve done some lyrics to that synth track you played today. If you wanted to I dunno, go over them or something, I could see what you thought.”

“Uh, yeah, bring them over.”

Rob strode over to sit on the edge of the bed and leaned over to show Gary his laptop.

“I get the feeling that we are being lied to; There's a surge in my psychosis every turn of the screw.” Gary read out loud. He continued in silence, brow furrowed in concentration. Eventually he looked back up and nodded. “I like this. It’s thematically contradictory to the track’s current sound but I appreciate how it would contrast. It needs some refining, but so does the track. But we can do all that tomorrow really - we’ve already done loads today.”

Rob sighed “Yeah, I suppose.”

“Come here.”

Rob looked up hesitantly. He didn’t want to make Gary uncomfortable and wished he had put on a pair of trousers, but Gary didn’t seem to mind. He shuffled further onto the bed so they were shoulder to shoulder. Gary smiled gently, taking the laptop and closing it before placing it on the bedside table.

“You are tired Rob; I can see you are. You don’t have to push yourself so hard, the material you have already written today was excellent. We all loved it.”

Rob stared down at his hands and fiddled with his fingers.

“Thanks Gaz” he mumbled. “I guess I am tired. I’m just having a bit of trouble sleeping, my mind just keeps racing through lyrics and second guessing myself.”

“If only we could shut your mind up.”

Rob let out a chuckle and turned his head to look at Gary. His face was close, close enough that Rob could see a smudge of toothpaste on the corner of his mouth. He studied it, looking at Gary’s lips, the beard stubble on his jaw and then up to his blue-green eyes. Not as green as his own, thought Robbie. Gary’s face, though, was very handsome. His jaw was strong, his eyes bright, and even clad in a long sleeve shirt with the rest of him hidden under the duvet it was obvious that he was in good shape. Something that Rob was aware he had been noticing a lot lately. Suddenly, Rob felt very self-conscious next to him. Frowning, he nodded at the toothpaste smear.

“You have toothpaste on your mouth” he said bluntly.

“Oh.” Gary moved back a bit and licked his finger to wipe it off. “Thanks.”

A moment passed where Rob regretted saying anything. He made to move off the bed and go back to his own room, but Gary put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“If you’re having trouble sleeping we could watch some TV together. There’s probably some reality tv crap on. Might bore you to sleep.”

Robbie grinned and settled back on the bed. “You underestimate how much I love crap reality TV.” He propped up the pillows behind him and lifted up the duvet to snuggle under it. Gary switched on the TV and flipped through the channels before landing on what he judged to be a trashy reality show and placing the remote back on the side table.

“Oh I love Real Housewives of Orange County.” Robbie exclaimed. He pointed at a blonde woman onscreen. “That’s Vicki, she’s hilarious. In a ridiculous way.”

Gary raised his eyebrows as the woman in question ranted at another. “I’m sure she is.”

“You need to learn to appreciate the art and pure storytelling of the Real Housewives now that we’re friends again.” Robbie joked.

“Of course, I’ll be doing my homework to figure the deep metaphors behind why Vicki is…” He paused to listen to the show for a moment “…considering buying a yacht?”

“I’m serious!” Robbie protested with a smile. “The drama is unparalleled.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

Gary rolled his eyes and slid further down the bed so he was lying down with his head propped on the pillows. After a moment Robbie did the same but was careful not to touch Gary under the blanket. He was conscious of the fact that he was just in underwear on his lower half and although Gary had said it was fine when he came in the room, it was a bit different when lying under the covers together. The thought played on Rob’s mind, and he felt hyper aware of Gary’s body, just inches away. He thought about what good shape Gary was in, and the way his muscles showed through his shirts now. He wanted to reach out and touch him under the duvet. He wanted Gary to reach out and do the same, like when he’d touched his shoulder earlier.

He found himself constantly distracted by Gary, his face, his body, the way a compliment from Gary made him feel in his stomach. Why was Gary having this effect on him? Was Rob seriously jealous of his physique? Although Rob had to admit he was a teeny bit jealous (okay, more than a teeny bit – Gary seemed to have the discipline when it came to eating and working out that Rob lacked), he knew that that wasn’t the real reason.

Sneaking a look at Gary now, Rob smiled to see that he was thoroughly engrossed in the show, which was nearing an end. Rob hadn’t been paying attention to it because he was thinking about Gary, but he was pretty sure this episode was a rerun he’d seen before anyway. Looking at Gary now, Rob suddenly felt a shiver as it hit him what he was feeling. He had a crush on Gary Barlow. The thought came so suddenly that Rob couldn’t help but giggle a bit. Gary turned to look at him.

“What?” asked Gary.

“Um. Nothing. I mean. The show. It’s funny, right?”

“I guess. I still don’t see the point of it all.”

“Don’t lie Barlow, I saw you couldn’t take your eyes off it.”

“Alright, alright, I admit. I can see how it could be slightly addictive.” Gary reached for the remote to see what was on next. “Oh brilliant, it’s on again after this.”

Robbie smiled to himself as Gary continued to watch the TV. He was sure this crush was just temporary. It was just the thrill of making up with Gary, having his friendship again, and then writing with him as a part of Take That. It was exciting, it was shaking up his feelings. For now, he would admire Gary, appreciate the closeness they had, take it all in, and eventually it would pass. It would pass without risking their friendship or endangering their newfound bond. He closed his eyes, content with this thought and felt sleep overtake him.

A while later the next episode of Real Housewives of Orange County had come to a close, and Gary turned off the TV and the lamp at the side of the bed. Moonlight flooded through the window and illuminated a sleeping Rob, who had curled up onto his side facing Gary.

Studying him for a minute, Gary was pleased to see how peaceful he seemed. He did worry that Rob was too anxious during the day, trying to cram in as much song-writing as he could, itching to prove his worth. It was good that they could work so well together, he reflected, but he didn’t want Rob to think Gary didn’t already know his worth. He was telling the truth when he said that what Rob wrote was excellent, or that he was funny, or understood the direction of a song instinctively or that he wrote with raw honesty. Or any of the other things that Rob was good at. If he could go back in time and tell him that in the nineties, he would. But the past was the past, and he was glad that him and Rob were in a place now where they could joke around and watch reality tv in bed together.

Rob groaned and shifted slightly in his sleep so his hair stuck up in a funny direction. Gary reached over and smoothed it back down, and then stroked his thumb over his sleeping friend’s forehead.

“Night Rob,” he breathed, before resting his head on his pillow and closing his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Rob woke at what he was sure was not morning time. The room was dark, but he could see through his eyelids that it was not pitch black – the moon was cutting through the darkness. He didn’t want to awaken, feeling content and warm. Slowly, his surroundings sharpened as he became aware of skin pressed against his face and a weight on his shoulders. Blearily he pried open his eyelids only to find that his face was thoroughly pressed into Gary’s neck. Not only that, but Gary’s arm was around his shoulders, pinning him to his chest.

Rob sluggishly shifted closer, soaking in the heat and comfort of Gary’s body, only to make a horrifying discovery; he had an erection that was now making contact with Gary’s hip.

Suddenly he felt much more awake. His revelation before he slept had seemed exhilarating but now it felt more like a horrible secret. How could he lie here making such contact with Gary – it was obscene, a betrayal of the friendship and care that Gary had extended to him. He tensed in Gary’s arms – pulling away suddenly might awaken him, and Rob didn’t want Gary to become aware of his unfortunate situation.

Gary murmured in his sleep, and his hand slipped lower down Robbie’s back, before settling with his fingers resting on the bare skin between Rob’s hoodie and his briefs. Rob decided he would attempt to roll over and dislodge himself from Gary’s grip, but as he began to shift his body something alarming happened. Gary held him tightly and slipped his leg in between his own so Rob’s erection was now pressed against Gary’s firm thigh.

Rob tried to suppress a whimper against Gary’s collarbone. It wasn’t fair to Gary – his movements were not an indication of anything, Rob knew this. He was fast asleep. Carefully, Rob tried again to move. This time Gary remained still and Rob was able to extricate himself from his limbs. As quietly as possible he climbed out of the bed, and was about to make his exit when Gary stirred again. This time his eyes opened halfway and he looked around disoriented.

“Robbie?”

Rob held his breath and remained standing by the bedside. Gary looked around and turned to see him, although his eyes remained barely open.

“I was…um…” Rob paused, unable to say anything.

“Come ‘ere” Gary mumbled, obviously still half asleep.

Rob hesitated before gently crawling back into the bed, this time facing himself away from Gary. To his surprise Gary’s arm found its place around his waist again and pulled him closer. He breathed in sharply, worried that Gary’s hand would unconsciously explore and move closer to his lower regions. However, soon he heard Gary’s breathing even out, indicating he had fallen back into a heavy slumber.

Closing his own eyes Rob attempted to ignore his hard member and concentrated on the feeling of Gary’s breath against the back of his neck. It was a bit ticklish, but soothing. He felt a bit guilt that he hadn’t left; Gary surely would not want Rob here if he knew the state of Rob’s body, or were aware of how his touch made Rob feel. But Gary had asked him to come back, even if it was a half asleep murmur that he probably wouldn’t remember uttering tomorrow.

Eventually Rob had thought for too much and too long, and despite the trepidation he felt due to Gary’s closeness and his unceasing….situation downstairs, he gave into sleep yet again.

Gary woke to his alarm at 7:00am. He’d gone to sleep later than intended the night before so opening his eyes was a bit more difficult than usual. However, something else was keeping him from moving. Something warm, pressed to him. He squeezed it wanting it closer.

Gradually, the fogginess of sleep lifted and he remembered what it was. His eyes peeked open, greeted by the sight of the back of Rob’s neck, his eye of Horus tattoo staring back. Gary frowned, not upset by the position they were in, but slightly confused; he wasn’t usually a big cuddler so he didn’t know why Sleep-Gary had seemingly been clutching onto Rob for dear life. It must be because Rob was so warm and cosy, he reasoned, like a human hot water bottle. At least Rob was still fast asleep, or things might get awkward.

Blearily he removed his arm from around Rob’s torso and got up from bed, readying to go for his usual morning run.

After using the toilet in the adjacent room, changing and locating his running shoes he tiptoed to the bedroom door, glancing back at Rob’s sleeping form. He was still dead to the world, likely not to wake up for another hour or two. Gary thought he looked sweet, wrapped in the duvet and his loose hoodie.

It had been a bit odd that he had dressed to come over to Gary’s without trousers, he thought, but that was just Rob. It wasn’t like Gary particularly had minded and after all, some might find it odd that two fully grown men would share a bed together. While Gary could see where they were coming from, he didn’t find it odd at all. He enjoyed Rob’s company and friendship, so it seemed pretty natural that if Rob fell asleep he wouldn’t wake him up just to throw him out.

Satisfied with this thought, Gary quietly inched the door open and slipped out for his run.

“Tea, Gaz?” Mark offered as Gary entered the kitchen, fresh from outdoors and still in his sweaty running clothes. He’d done an hours running and 30 minutes of yoga outside and felt refreshed and fully awake.

“Yes please!” he thanked Mark and busied himself with his own breakfast. “Are the others up yet?”

“Jason and Howard are.” Mark hesitated and looked as though he were about to ask a question. He furrowed his brow, but then seemed to recover himself and continued to speak. “Rob didn’t answer when I knocked on his door about half an hour ago, maybe he’s still sleeping….?” He looked purposefully at Gary, who was too preoccupied with preparing a fruit and oatmeal bowl to notice.

Gary wasn’t sure if he should mention where Rob might be, but before he could Jason and Howard entered, with Rob trailing along behind them. He had obviously returned to his room at some point, as he had put on a pair of pyjama trousers.

Mark handed Gary a mug and smiled at the three arrivals.

“Morning all!” he beamed. “Everyone’s up early, aren’t they?”

“Morning Markie,” mumbled Rob.

“Not sure how awake Rob is yet.” Jason nodded at him.

“Not til I’ve had a coffee” Rob replied and sat down at the table rubbing his eyes.

Gary rolled his eyes and began the coffee machine, preparing a mug for Rob.

The others chatted away amicably, discussing how to spend the day.

“I had some song ideas last night, if we get a lot done before lunch we could have a nice long break and then get back at it again in the afternoon.”

“Mmm, there’s a couple short hikes nearby, I’d like to do one after lunch.”

“The lake one?”

“If it’s nice enough we could go for a swim.”

Gary listened to the conversation but kept his eyes on Rob, who had his eyes closed and was propping his head up on his hand. The coffee machine hissed and Gary turned around to retrieve a steaming mug of coffee.

“Here you go, Rob.” He leaned over the table and placed it down.

Rob started and opened his eyes, staring at Gary and then down at the mug. He perked up and grinned.

“Thanks.”

Gary shrugged and stood back again to lean against the counter. Rob immediately went to take a gulp, wincing because it was too hot but swallowing anyway. He felt especially sleepy, which might be because he’d woken up in the night. He blushed slightly thinking about it and glanced up at Gary who was now absent-mindedly listening to Howard describe a nearby hiking path.

The bed had been empty when he had awoken and Rob had been disappointed, half wishing that he had awoken with Gary’s arm round him. It was probably for the best that he didn’t – Gary could have been embarrassed or annoyed at Rob for falling asleep in his bed. And god forbid he knew about Rob’s unfortunate situation in the night.

There was no way he did – right? No. Gary had acted normally when Rob entered the kitchen, and even made him a coffee. He wouldn’t do that if he was weirded out because Rob had gotten an erection while sharing a bed with him.

Rob narrowed his eyes at him, trying to figure out if Gary seemed off. Having a crush was going to be such an inconvenience if he had to keep worrying about whether Gary suspected or not, or what was appropriate friend behaviour.

He continued to sip his coffee, feeling more alert by the second. Soon he felt up to joining in with the others, but before he could figure out what the subject of conversation was Jason, Howard and Mark left the kitchen.

“They’re gonna get started, Mark has a few ideas he’s desperate to get onto paper.” Gary said in answer to his questioning look.

“I should probably shower and get dressed then.”

“We’re thinking of doing a small hike to the lake and maybe taking a dip after lunch, if you’re interested.”

Rob nodded and chucked back the last of his coffee before standing up. Gary followed him as he left the kitchen.

“Are you not gonna write with them?” asked Rob.

“In my sweaty workout clothes? I need a shower too!” Gary pointed out.

“Oh right.”

They stopped outside Gary’s bedroom.

“Um, I think I left my laptop in there.” Rob said.

“Oh yeah! You fell asleep pretty soon into the Real Housewives. I’m questioning how big of a fan you really are if they can send you to sleep so easily.” Gary joked.

Rob huffed. “I was just tired. I could tell you all about them if I wanted to!”

He relaxed a bit now that Gary had mentioned last night with no awkwardness and followed him into the room, rounding the bed to fetch his laptop. As he spun round again he was met with the sight of a shirtless Gary crouching on the floor to dig around his bag for body wash. He allowed himself to admire the sight for less than a moment before averting his eyes and making a quick exit.


	4. Chapter 4

When Rob had finished showering he made his way to the front room where the others were. 

Gary was already there, playing a tune on the piano, fingers moving easily across the keys. It sounded fantastic, Rob thought. He sat down on the sofa, still listening, and opened his laptop. Suddenly Gary stopped his performance and hopped off the stool to plop down next to Rob. 

“Let’s have another look at those lyrics, Rob.”

Rob clicked the document and gave the laptop to Gary who began to read them out loud. Jason, Howard and Mark turned to listen, and soon all five of them were discussing adjustments and changes, playing the track Robbie had wrote them for and attempting to sing along.

A few hours passed with banter flowing easily and music being played. Rob felt he had been productive and felt proud of some of the stuff he’d come up with. As with most of it, refinement was needed, but a few songs were starting to take shape. Closing his laptop, he stretched his arms out and cracked his neck. 

“Anyone for lunch?” he asked. 

Immediately Mark stood up. “Me and Robbie’ll make sandwiches if you guys want!” 

“Uhh, you know I haven’t cooked since about 1996.” Robbie deadpanned.

“It’s sandwiches Rob, not rocket science.” 

“Fine, okay, but you all better not complain when you have to eat them!”

“Mark’s a good enough chef for the both of you anyway,” Jason piped up.

Gary hummed in agreement. “Remember that noodle dish you made us last tour? That was ace, what was that again?” 

“Gochujang noodles.” Mark beamed at the compliment. “C’mon Rob, let’s get lunch ready for these lot.”

In the kitchen Mark arranged sandwich fillings on the counter and instructed Rob to assemble them.

“I didn’t know you could cook so well Mark, you’ve never cooked for me!” He teased.

“Well I’m just average really, Gochujang noodles are pretty easy once you have the ingredients.” 

“Oh. Well better than me anyhow, I’m useless in the kitchen. Can the others cook too?” He asked.

“Gaz can, very well. So can Jason and Howard, but Gary spends a lot of time on it.” Mark launched into a story about how Gary’s cooking, and Rob listened along politely. 

It was nice hearing about things the other four had gotten up to over their years reunited without Rob, but at the same time he felt a bit bitter that he hadn’t been there – although he knew he could only blame himself for that. 

“Anyway,” Mark changed topic quite abruptly after his story ended. “Did I see you leaving Gary’s bedroom this morning?” 

Rob looked up in what he hoped was a nonchalant way. 

“Gary’s bedroom? Ummm, was I there? I think so. Hang on…. No, yeah I was there. This morning.” 

Mark raised his eyebrows. “Any reason for that?”

Robbie hesitated. “I fell asleep in his bedroom last night. I was just there late, showing him some lyrics and we watched a bit of TV and fell asleep, that’s all.”

“Half naked?”

“I wasn’t half naked!”

“Well, no trousers.”

“That’s just how I sleep.”

“You didn’t….?” Mark paused meaningfully.

“What? Oh! No! No, mark, you know he’s straight.”

“Ah! So you’re not denying you would want to…”

Robbie opened his mouth in protest before shutting it. Mark would probably be able to tell that he was lying.

“Well lately, I guess I have been feeling… differently towards Gary.” He said delicately.

“You want to shag him!” Mark exclaimed gleefully.

“No! Shhhh! I just… I have a small crush or whatever you wanna call it. It’s nothing, probably just because it’s nice to be back with the boys, and we’ve changed a lot so it feels different.” 

“Aww, little Robbie has a biiiiig crush.” Teased Mark.

“I’m literally four times the size of you.” Fired back Rob, standing up straighter so his height showed.

Mark snorted and gave him a light shove.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter,” continued Rob, “he’s not into men.”

Mark shrugged. He knew Rob had messed around with both men and women in the nineties, but didn’t know much about Rob’s relationships since then, although he was aware Rob had been in relationships with both. Gary however, Mark had never known to sleep with a man. That didn’t mean it had never happened – or that it wouldn’t happen in the future – but he did see why Rob was convinced Gary was straight. But he had seen the way Gary and Rob had bonded after the Talk, and there was no denying there was a chemistry between them – platonic or otherwise. 

“I’m done with these sandwiches.” Rob spoke up again, but more quietly.

Mark felt a bit bad. Unrequited crushes could feel like a special kind of torture sometimes, and he wanted Rob to know that he’d be there if Rob wanted to talk. 

“Rob, it’s really alright to have a small crush. Believe me, I get it. Gaz is on top form these days isn’t he.” 

Rob smiled wistfully. 

“I just really don’t want to ruin our friendship.” He said softly. “I did that once already.”

Mark put his hand on Rob’s shoulder sympathetically. “You won’t. Trust me, what you two have is stronger than ever.” 

Rob gave him a quick hug.

“Thanks Mark.”

“My pleasure. Let’s get these sandwiches out.”

They arranged the food onto two trays and carried them back to the other room where Jason, Howard and Gary perked their heads up.

“Thanks guys!” Howard beamed. “What have you got for us?”

“Tuna mayonnaise or tomato, pesto and mozzarella.” Rob grinned as he placed the tray down and grabbed a tuna one. 

Gary rose from the piano to help himself before sitting down next to Rob. Mark sat across from them and noticed the closeness of Gary to Rob. He could have left a good two feet of space between them, but he had chosen to sit so close that their knees were touching. Rob caught Mark’s eye and Mark subtly nodded down and smirked a little. Frowning slightly, he moved his knee away and tried to busy himself with his food. 

“Rob you are such a messy eater!” exclaimed Gary as Rob reached for another sandwich. 

Looking down to see what Gary meant, Rob saw that he had dropped a smattering of crumbs all over his lap and tried to brush them off.

“Oops.”

“Well that too, but I meant you have pesto AND mayonnaise on your face.”

“What! Where?” Rob wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned to Gary to confirm he’d got it.

Gary just laughed. “No, its… here let me.”

Using one hand to hold Rob’s face still he used the other thumb to wipe over his chin and then by the side of his mouth. Rob stayed frozen in shock and let him do so, trying to avoid eye contact. He could feel his cheeks getting redder and hoped Gary wouldn’t notice.

“There we go.” Gary moved his hands and wiped the food onto a napkin.   
  
Rob breathed a sigh of relief. Gary cupping his face and tenderly rubbing it was a little too much to handle right now, especially when he could see Mark very obviously snickering at him out of the corner of his eye. He had been glad for their chat in the kitchen, but trust Mark to take the piss out of his very serious predicament! Gary was just trying to be helpful; he didn’t know what Rob was feeling or he wouldn’t have done it, but it still felt unfair that he could have this effect, and unfair that Mark could find it so humorous. 

This stupid crush was going to be more trouble than it was worth if he couldn’t even get through a normal interaction with Gary. Suddenly feeling very sorry for himself and irritated at both Gary and Mark he huffed and got to his feet. 

“I’m not going to come on the walk, I’ll stay here and write.”

Howard looked up from his conversation with Jason at that.

“Are you sure, it’s a beautiful day?”

“Yes, I am.” Rob felt a bit bad, Howard seemed disappointed. He supposed this wasn’t really in the team spirit of the band, and Jason had made a point to emphasise that they should engage in some team building activities other than writing.

“Sorry, I don’t feel in the mood right now.”

“Don’t you want the rest?” Mark pointed at the sandwich Rob had abandoned.

“Maybe later.” With that he left the room.

Jason looked concerned and directed a question at Gary and Mark. “Did something happen? Why’s he in a mood?”

Gary shrugged. “I don’t know, he seemed fine all through the morning. Mark?”

Mark thought carefully. He was pretty sure that Rob was upset because he had laughed at Rob’s (what he thought was) obvious reaction when Gary wiped his face. Gary hadn’t seemed to pick up on it though and remained oblivious now, but then again maybe Mark only noticed because of what he’d learned in the kitchen. Either way, he couldn’t tell the others that – he needed to smooth over the situation.

“You know Rob, it could just be something small. He’ll be fine here for a couple hours. We can say goodbye before we leave in case he’s changed his mind.”

Jason nodded at that. “He does have a changeable mind…”

  
While the others changed to prepare for the walk, Gary gently knocked on Rob’s door.

“Come in.”

He stepped in and saw Rob sitting in an armchair hunched over his laptop. 

“You sure you don’t want to come with us Rob, the lake is lovely and its only a twenty minute walk there. I went round it on my run this morning.”

“I already said I was sure!” snapped Rob without looking up. He typed something angrily.

Gary paused before replying. He was sure something was bothering Rob, but maybe he just needed space right now. 

“Alright well...” he struggled to think of something to say.

Rob sighed. “Sorry Gaz. Go have fun, I’ll see you all in a couple hours anyway.”

Gary nodded, wishing he could be more help. 

“Don’t work too hard, or we’ll never catch up.” 

With that he left the room.

Rob sat back in his chair and rubbed his hand over his face. He wished he had not realised that he had a crush on Gary – it seemed like every interaction between them now was more difficult, and he questioned whether he was saying and doing the right thing or acting normally enough that it wouldn’t be obvious. And by Mark’s reaction earlier, he wasn’t exactly subtle. Well, he never had been, he supposed. His emotions had never been easy to hide, always feeling like they were going to spill out of him at any time. He resolved to do a better job of hiding them, to avoid further teasing from Mark, and hopefully they’d fade naturally. 


End file.
